Environmental Stewardship
Contacts: Laurie Sears, Larry Fullerton, and Patricia Rhodes
Landon strives to reduce waste, increase awareness of environmental issues, and provide opportunities for students to connect with nature. While the School’s efforts have been ongoing, in 2010 we adopted an Environmental Values Statement to explain our philosophy and our goals, and how we plan to attain them. We are pleased at the progress we have been achieving while striving to meet the goals we have laid out for ourselves and our community.
We welcome your input and participation in our environmental initiatives.
Environmental Values Statement
Landon School promotes environmental literacy and sustainable practices throughout our community. As stated in the School’s strategic plan, Landon fosters leadership and innovation by cultivating “responsible stewards of the natural environment and Earth’s resources.” Landon is committed to promoting environmentally responsible behavior both within and beyond our campus by reducing waste, conserving resources, decreasing pollutants, and maximizing recycling. To allow our students to become resourceful and creative leaders in our changing world, we are dedicated to advancing ecological awareness and literacy as well as environmental activity both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities.
Eight Goals for Environmental Stewardship at Landon
1. Foster the community’s understanding of ecological issues
and our environmental impact.
2. Reduce resource waste in all areas of school life.
3. Reduce the School’s carbon footprint and energy costs; increase energy efficiency and reduce water use in buildings.
4. Improve indoor air quality.
5. Implement environmentally sound land-management practices, and encourage the academic use of our campus
6. Reduce negative environmental consequences related to transportation issues on and off campus.
7. Engage in environmentally sustainable practices in our food services at Landon.
8. Promote a commitment to environmental sustainability by administrators, faculty and staff.
Eight Goals and Ideas for Implementation (full text)
Thanks to our community-wide initiatives, Montgomery County awaded Landon the Excellence in Recycling Award in 2012.
Initiatives
All School
- Cafeteria Changes -
- The cafeteria has been reconfigured to allow for greener and healthier practices. In 2007, the School did away with trays, to help minimize food waste and do away with the necessity of washing hundreds of trays daily. This year, the flow of the lunch line has been altered to allow for juice and milk dispensers, which help us eliminate a great deal of waste from milk cartons and plastic juice containers. Salad bars have been moved to the center of the cafeteria and more fresh fruit and vegetables are available and easily accessible. (Goals 1, 2, 7, and 8)
- Composting -
- Perhaps the most significant change in the cafeteria is that all of our food and paper waste is being composted. In making this switch the School reaps an economic benefit, as well as minimizing the waste sent to landfills, and building environmental awareness into our daily routine. See http://www.batestrucking.com/getting-greener.html for more information. (Goals 1, 2, 7, and 8)
- Energy Audit -
- Landon has been monitoring its energy use in all the main buildings on campus to be able to understand our usage patterns better to control our energy use and expense. With the help of technology and expertise from Landon father, Davor Kapelina's company, AtSite, a Sustainable Building Company, Landon is moving toward using energy most efficiently. (Goal 3)
- Monitoring Energy Consumption & Conservation of Energy -
- The school has installed light sensors, and put in systems to turn off all computers on campus automatically in the early evening, changing lightbulbs in the gym, in US & MS lights changed to energy efficient or compact florescents. In response to the information received from AtSite, the school has installed systems to minimize energy consumption.
- Wind Energy -
- As of April 2012 we purchase 50% of our energy from wind energy.
- Anti-Idling Campaign -
- Landon is striving to become an idle-free campus. For cleaner air and healthier boys, please turn off your car engine when waiting on campus. Lower and Middle School students periodically hand out information at car pool to explain the benefits of turning off your engines while waiting on campus. Signs are posted around campus to remind community members and visitors to turn engines off. Click here for more information about idling. (Goals 6 and 8)
- Greenhouse and Outdoor Classroom -
- The green house and outdoor class are up and running after the old greenhouse's untimely demise during snowmageddon. There is a wall that runs in the middle of it dividing the house in two. One half serves as a learning greenhouse to be shared by all divisions, and the other half is an outdoor classroom. The outdoor classroom has a gravel floor a glassed ceiling, but open walls and sides. Teachers and advisors from all divisions are encouraged to use the space. (Goals 5 and 8
- Gardens -
- In addition to the community garden adjacent to the green house, the US AP Environmental science classes have a small garden outside of their classroom, and the LS planted the flowers they grew in the science room and greenhouse to beautiful the LS grounds. (Goals 5 and 8)
- Environmental Forum Host -
- In the spring of 2011 Landon hosted leaders and teachers from many area schools to share our experiences and to break into smaller affinity groups to discuss issues regarding curriculum, environmental initiatives, and the role of the heads of schools and business managers. Presenters included members of the Landon Green Initiative, the Business Manager, and student leaders. Click here for PowerPoint presentations on the work we have done and what lies ahead, and the Seas and Trees program. (Goals 1 & 8)
- Green maintenance of grounds and buildings
- Paul Batten, Grounds Forman, has been recognized by the county for his green landscaping techniques that allow the School to maintain its impressive grounds, while minimizing use of chemical pesticides. Similarly, our custodians used green cleaning products to minimize hazardous chemicals in our buildings. (Goals 4 & 5)
- Green reading -
- Our summer reading lists include "green bear" books, which have environmental themes, to encourage the boys to learn more about the world around them. (Goal 1)
Upper School
Middle School
- Experiential Learning -
- During our inaugural Minimester (a 3-day alternative learning offering), students participated in a number of different activities, a number of which had environmental themes and work.
- In Sustainable Living, students and teachers planted seed and transplanted seedlings in the greenhouse, tilled the garden, took soil samples, and discussed the school's energy consumption with Dan Last of AtSite (the company that monitors the energy consumption on campus). They worked on and learned about Rocklands Farm in Poolesville and planned their own gardens.
- In the Future Cities group, boys learned about different and innovative ways to reduce waste and conserve resources in urban settings before being given a location and asked to come up with the most efficient city possible, given the location and climate.
- Outdoor Education -
- Our sixth grade students travel to Echo Hill on the Eastern Shore, camp in platform tents and participate in a wide variety of outdoor activities while learning about the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.
- Form I students go on a two-day overnight expedtion led by Calleva during which they challenge themselves in ropes course activities and engage in trust and group building activities. The also spend a day on the Potomac River kayaking or white water rafting.
- The Form II class goes camping for a week in West Virginia, orienteering to the top of Spruce Knob, canoeing, learning outdoor survival skills, engaging in stream studies, and learning about the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
- Community Service -
- Middle school students clean area parks and trails, and mark storm drains, and help out at a local organic farm during periodic community service activities both during school and as extracurricular activities.
- Terrace Garden -
- Using plants grown by the students from the Sustainable Living Minimester, the Middle School set up a container garden of different types of lettuces and herbs on the terrace.
Lower School
- The Lower School Green Team
- This group comes up with the Green Tip of the Week for the weekly parent newsletter and will be engaging in a variety of environmental projects.
- Recycled Art -
- The lower school students, in conjunction with Holton Arms students, made birdhouses and refrigerator magnets out of milk and juice carton and jar lids.
Green Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
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